We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

A Surprising Way to Score More Bonus Points With Hilton’s Latest Promotion!

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Hilton’s recent Points Unlimited promotion has a loophole that allows you to earn bonus points for reward stays!

    Million Mile Secret Agent James asked:

    I haven’t been able to figure out if I’d still get the bonus from Hilton’s Points Unlimited promotion if I book with points.  Do you know if I have to pay cash rather than booking an award night in order to earn the bonus?

    Hotel Promotions Are a Great Way to Collect the Points You Need to Stay at Upscale Hotels, Like the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Without Signing-Up for a Credit Card

    Great question, James!

    I like taking advantage of hotel promotions to earn points, without having to sign-up for a credit card.  And usually, only stays paid with cash qualify for hotel promotion bonuses.

    However, for the current Hilton Points Unlimited promotion, you CAN earn the bonus on award stays.  But only if you meet certain criteria.  I’ll explain more.

    Earning Bonus Points on Award Nights With Hilton’s Latest Promotion

    With the Hilton Points Unlimited promotion, you can earn 2,000 bonus Hilton points per stay and an extra 10,000 Hilton points for every 5 stays.  The promotion runs from January 1, 2018, to April 30, 2018.  All Hilton hotels except Hampton hotels in mainland China are participating.  And you must register before your stay for it to qualify.

    Award nights will count if you have an eligible incidental charge during your stay.  The promotion’s frequently asked questions page states:

    Members will earn bonus points with the “Points Unlimited” promotion if they have incidental charges during a reward stay, provided such charges are deemed eligible folio charges.  This does not apply to incidental charges for stays at Hampton by Hilton™, Tru by Hilton™, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, and Home2 Suites by Hilton®.

    Eligible incidental charges include drinks, food, and anything else you charge to your room.  So as long as you make an eligible charge to your room, you should earn the bonus points for your award stay!

    Eligible Incidental Charges Include Breakfast at the Hotel’s Restaurant

    If you don’t have enough points to book an award night, you can pay for part of your stay with points and still qualify for the bonus.  You’ll need at least 5,000 Hilton points to use the Points & Money option.  And you can only redeem in 1,000-point increments.

    If you are paying cash, don’t forget to book directly with Hilton for the stay to qualify for the promotion.  If you book through a 3rd-party site, like Orbitz or Priceline, the stay will NOT qualify for the bonus.

    Is This a Good Deal?

    This promotion is better for shorter stays.  Because the bonus is awarded per stay, NOT per night.  So for a 5-night stay, you will only earn 2,000 Hilton points.  But if you stayed 5 separate nights, you would earn 20,000 Hilton points (2,000 Hilton points per stay X 5 stays + 10,000 Hilton point 5-stay bonus).

    Booking Award Stays at Low-Level Hilton Hotels, Like the DoubleTree by Hilton Queretaro, Could Make Sense During the Points Unlimited Promotion

    Hilton award nights range from 5,000 to 95,000 Hilton points per night for standard rooms.  So if you are booking 1-night award stays at the lowest award levels, this promotion could be worth it.  But many of the low-level Hilton hotels are outside of the US.  So for most folks, it’s probably not worth going out of your way to take advantage of this deal.

    That said, if you already have 4 paid Hilton stays already planned, then booking a 5th stay could make sense.  Because with this deal, you’ll earn an additional 12,000 bonus Hilton points (2,000 Hilton points per stay + 10,000 Hilton point 5-stay bonus) after your 5th stay!

    Bottom Line

    Typically, award nights will NOT earn bonus points during hotel promotions.  But the Hilton Points Unlimited promotion is different!

    During your award stay, if you have an eligible incidental charge to your room, like food or drinks, you can earn the bonus!  But award stays at hotels including Hampton, Tru, Homewood Suites, and Home2 Suites, will NOT count, regardless of incidental charges.

    And don’t forget, if you are paying cash for a stay, you will NOT earn the bonus if you booked through a 3rd-party site, like Orbitz or Priceline.

    Do you plan on taking advantage of the Hilton Points Unlimited promotion’s loophole?

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)